Friday, May 16, 2014

Bloom's Taxonomies

The Story Behind the Story

You will want to read Appendix XIX, page A-113-121 in my original edition the deliberate dumbing down of america: A Chronological Paper Trail. This is the original 1999 book that contains the appendices, available as a FREE DOWNLOAD at my web site http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com

This is dynamite information since the author of this entry, who did not want, for good reason, to be identified, obtained the verbatim text, taken from The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook II, from Madeline Hunter herself. I think I can understand why the unidentified researcher friend of mine did not want her name attached to this entry, which I received from her back in the 1990s. She told me at the time that she had a letter from Professor Bloom giving her permission to use this information, but unfortunately that letter was lost in a fire which destroyed much of her research. Here is a key quote that describes affective education and its encroachment on privacy:

…A much more serious reason for the hesitation in the use of affective measures for grading purposes comes from somewhat deeper philosophical and cultural values. Achievement, competence, productivity, etc., are regarded as public matters. Honors are awarded for high achievement, honor lists may be published by the Dean, and lists of National Merit Scholarship winners may be printed in newspapers. In contrast, one’s beliefs, attitudes, values and personality characteristics are more likely to be regarded as private matters, except in the most extreme instances already noted. My attitudes toward God, home, and family are private concerns, and this privacy is generally respected. My political attitudes are private. I may reveal them if I wish, but no one can force me to do so. In fact, my voting behavior is usually protected from public view. Each man’s home is his castle, and his interests, values, beliefs and personality may not be scrutinized unless he voluntarily gives permission to have them revealed. This public-private status of cognitive vs. affective behaviors is deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian religion and is a value highly cherished in the democratic traditions of the Western World.Closely linked to this private aspect of affective behavior is the distinction frequently made between education and indoctrination in a democratic society. Education opens up possibilities for free choice and individual decision. Education helps the individual to explore many aspects of the world and even his own feelings and emotion, but choice and decision are matters for the individual. Indoctrination, on the other hand, is viewed as reducing the possibilities of free choice and decision. It is regarded as an attempt to persuade and coerce the individual to accept a particular viewpoint or belief, to act in a particular manner, and to profess a particular value and way of life.THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF A TAXONOMY OF AFFECTIVE OBJECTIVESIf affective objectives and goals are to be realized, they must be defined clearly; learning experiences to help the student develop in the desired direction must be provided; and there must be some systematic method for appraising the extent to which students grow in the desired ways.